Baby-faced assassin is England’s next star
FIN BAXTER may look back on Saturday afternoon as the day his life changed for ever. The Harlequins prop conquered a monster and announced himself as England’s next star.
A remarkable aspect of what Quins achieved by winning 42-41 in Bordeaux is that, for all the razzle-dazzle brilliance and the six tries apiece, so much of the post-match talk was about the visitors’ babyfaced loosehead. And fully deserved — what Baxter did defied the laws of physics.
The 22-year-old is not a small man by any means. He weighs more than 18st. But he was up against Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna, whose weight is conservatively listed as 23st 2lb. Tameifuna is a cult hero in the French city where he lives and works, where they adore the havoc he wreaks on opposition scrums.
Not this time. Baxter destroyed him, despite the 5st weight deficit. It was a triumph of hard graft and superb technique, founded on years of dedication and the expertise passed on at Quins by scrum coach Adam Jones, Joe Marler — England’s veteran No 1 — and leading tighthead Will Collier. On Saturday, Baxter, Collier and hooker Jack Walker led surely one of the greatest set-piece onslaughts ever produced by a Premiership side in France.
The rookie on the left-hand side of their front row used strength, craft and guile to drive under and through the stunned Tameifuna time and time again. It laid the platform for Quins to strike from close-range line-outs on their way to one of the finest victories in the club’s history.
Having played for England ‘A’ against Portugal recently, he must surely go on the senior team’s summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.
The opening Test in Tokyo is an ideal opportunity to introduce him at the top level. If he can do what he did in Bordeaux, he is ready and equipped for the task.
Collier, who won two caps for England in 2017 and has been one of the best scrummagers in the country for several years, paid an emphatic tribute. ‘He is going to be a world-class loosehead, I have no doubt,’ he said. ‘He is going to win a ton of caps. I hope the powers-that-be see that and push him on.
‘I love scrumming with Fin — he is baby-faced and he gets underestimated. People see him and think it’s going to be an easy day, especially when he is up against massive tightheads. Very quickly, they look at each other and say, “He’s actually a very, very good player”. He could progress to be one of the best in the world.’
On a day when flanker Chandler Cunningham-South also showcased his claims for an England starting place with a rampaging demonstration of forceful ball- carrying, there was a wider satisfaction to be gained from Quins’ success against the odds.
This is what the sport is supposed to look like. It was a thrilling spectacle but founded on core staples of tough, aggressive forward play. When it comes together like it did at Stade ChabanDelmas, rugby is a truly breathtaking sight.